Savoury Tomato & Parmesan Crumble

Just needed to write this before we share today’s recipe:Damn! (or Holy F**k!, as TK probably would put it). We asked for some travel tips but never expected that you would be so incredibly helpful. We will compile all your recommendations into a document and it is going to be the perfect travel guide for us. Huge, huge thank you! After having read your comments we are now leaning towards dividing our time between Sydney and Melbourne. And do a month in NZ in between. We will keep you updated regarding our workshops as soon as we have more info.

If you’ve been cooking with us this summer, you probably know that we love crumbles. They are imprecise and easy improvised – try quinoa flakes instead of oats, coconut oil instead of butter, a little less of this or a little more of that.

Instead of doing yet another sweet crumble, this a savoury version. It’s a nice little autumn dinner that we recommend making with some heirloom tomatoes or flavourful cherry tomatoes. The sweet tanginess from the tomatoes goes perfectly with the rich and crunchy parmesan and oat topping. If you can’t find any good tomatoes, I imagine that diced eggplant/aubergine and zucchini would be great as well. Serve with a simple bean salad for some extra protein.

Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Grease a 22 cm / 9 inch baking dish or pie tin with butter (or coconut oil).
Rinse the tomatoes and cut in halves. Place in a baking dish and toss with sea salt and apple cider vinegar. Prepare the crumble in a separate bowl. Start by thoroughly mixing oats, almond meal/flour, grated parmesan, oregano and sea salt. Cut the butter into smaller pieces and add to the oat mixture. Use your hands to mix until large crumbs are formed. Pour the crumble filling evenly over the tomatoes. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until the tomato juices are bubbling around the edges and the crumble is firm and browned. We served it with lettuce, pear and chickpeas on the side.

You guys, NZ!!!!! Try to really save at least a month for it because it is a place you will never want to leave again – this was definitely my case after 6 months of living in the South Island. And if this trip of yours is meant to be all about the family time, rest, clearing your heads – well let me tell you, the green and the blue of New Zealand will do the magic for you! Now, I could write the whole book of recommendations for you but I’m just gonna try really hard to keep it short and simple. I’d say, devote more of your time for the South Island – although the North one is incredibly beautiful, the SI is beyond this world gorgeous and also much more diverse. From the almost rain forests and snowy mountains to the golden beaches in the northern part. Do a roadtrip around the island, you can camp, you can sleep in affordable and super-nice hostels or hotels. Foodwise – not always a paradise in NZ, when it comes to finding healthy alternatives in the tiny towns supermarkets or restaurants/bistros. BUT, there’s usually a farmers’ market everywhere and tons of fresh NZ produce as well as fruits from all the Southern Pacific Islands are available. Getting here to the last recommendations: there are many more in my head but these two, they are the precious one I keep in my head for when I’m next in my favorite country: Fleur’s place in the small fishing village of Moeraki, on the south-east coast of SI (google it, they have a website), known for their fresh and local ingredients and located just on the seashore, cozy and friendly atmosphere. Another place I highly recommend is the The Mussel Inn in Onekaka, Golden Bay (northern part of SI). Also, google-able so I’m not gonna say anything more. Just that I wish you a beautiful and safe trip, enjoy it all and we’ll be excited for the travel stories and recipes. But please, most importantly take your most deserved time off, we’re not going anywhere :)

So happy you guys are coming to Aus/ NZ. Melbourne is my home town, and let me tell you, we LOVE our food here! Your blog is a continuing source of inspiration, prodding me to cook and eat healthier, so I look forward to hearing about book signings/workshops (please please please have one in Melbourne! I will bring all my friends!)

This recipe sounds perfect for me :) And as I expect in todays veggie box as well tomatoes as lettuce and pears it is very likely that I will try it out veeeeery soon. Thanks a lot for sharing.
And have a great time down under!

You guys are so inspiring, and this recipe is amazing…I’m Italian, and in my family we eat a lot of cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese…it will be a good way to push my lover to eat more vegetarian dishes!

Actually, it is. Vegetarians simply do not eat meat or any kind of animal flesh, so cheese is vegetarian. It is not, however vegan — vegans don’t eat any animal products.

There are also different kinds of vegetarianism with more or less restricted diets, such as pescetarianism (fish-eating), lacto-vegetarianism (eat dairy but no eggs) and ovo-vegetarianism (eat eggs but no dairy).

Have a great time in Aus! I just got back from a week up in the mountains outside of Melbourne — and have spent a few weeks in Melbourne in the past. I absolutely love that part of the world. Farm country! Amazing produce. Amazing restaurants– even little roadside cafes have incredible produce and great veg options!

So glad you have decided to divide your time between Melb and Syd! I am from Sydney, but think both cities pretty amazing.
Just a tip on Auckland, NZ. If you want to try some great veg food – head to Revive café in Auckland city. The owner also has put out some great cookbooks. Just google the name and you’ll find the website. I really love the cookbooks and they seem very popular in NZ.

Sydney Short List – To Do
Circular Quay – the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge is here. Also very close is the botanical gardens which are beautiful and peaceful to walk through. Other suggestions in the area:
Tour of the Opera House
Drink at the Opera House Bar
Walking across the Harbour Bridge {the view is spectacular}
The Rocks is a cool area to walk through – cobble stone streets, lots or galleries and restaurants
Go to the beaches!!! Bondi is one of the most famous beaches in the world and worth going to. Bondi itself you can roam and hang out and people watch for an entire day. I also highly suggest doing the Coogee to Bondi walk – you will walk by 5-7ish beaches and the walk is nice and the views are spectacular
Westfield Mall – there are a couple in the city and if you’re into shopping it’s deffo worth a look [my fave store is cotton on]
Markets – Paddington and Bondi markets are awesome but $$$ – Paddy’s market is downtown, kinda crazy but a good place to get “oz” souviners
King’s Cross is the place to go out if you want a big night out
Suggested things to try: tim tams, carmel slice, meat pies, vegemite, flat white {if you like coffee}

Yum yum yum tomatoes are so versatile!
Do you know what I love since you started your YouTube channel? When I read your posts, I can hear your voice in my head, it’s lovely :)
For the record, Western Australia is absolutely beautiful… Slightly biased as that is my neck of the woods, but honestly we have the best beaches – you really wouldn’t regret popping over!

I lived en Melbourne a couple of years ago and I am finally heading back, though only for vacation, next summer. So excited. However reading that you guys are considering going down under too, just made me even more excited. Melbourne is amazing for so many reasons, but the food scene is obvious one of the best parts. Also Melbournians make the best coffee. I am pretty sure I spend the majority of my savings back when I lived in the city on extra hot skinny lattés :-) Check out following areas: Fitzroy (go eat at Vegie bar – they make the best mango lassie), such a great area for street art, vintage shops, cool hipster bars and awesome food. If you walk down Brunswick Street you cannot avoid all the great places. Also check out Gertrude Street and Smith Street in Fitzroy. The whole Carlton area is devine; beautiful Victorian inspired architecture, Lygon Street has many wonderful food options such as Turkish restaurants, needless to say you will have to visit Brunetti (the original Brunitti is located in Carlton), amazing coffee/pastery shop. Check out a movie at Cinema Nova, they show arty/alternative movies from around the world. Also visit the Queen Victoria Market on Elizabeth Street. Huge food market with fresh veggies, fruits, nuts etc. Also there are a bunch of shops located within the market (an amazing greek yogurt shop is one among them). Check out the whole Pharan area which has Chapel Street has one of the more famous streets. Close to Pharan/Chapel Street is The Tan/Royal Botanical Garden located. I used to run around the gardens. Bonus, the garden is right next to the Yarra which you defiantly also need to take a walk by. Check out South Melbourne (they have great brunch cafés, St. Ali and Mart to name a few). Check out Albert Park (close to South Melbourne) and Port Melbourne (right near the habour). Hmm, catch the train to some of the cool suburbs. I lived in the Armadale/Toorak area (very posh), however a bunch of great eating places are also located around here. My to-go spot for coffee was this small coffee shop called Pheast48. It is owned by Italians, and speaking of which go visit Pellegrini (Melbourne food institution), the owner Nino is a blast. Such a nice old man. Elsa and your new born would probably love visit the Collingwood Childrens Farm. It is close to the city, I think you can catch a tram/drive/walk. The Melbourne Museum is amazing with lots of history about the city. Also you need to go to St. Kilda. They have some amazing restaraunts. And one other thing you just cannot miss when you in Melbourne is of course the footy. The games are pretty cheap and every Friday evening the people from the surburbs will get on the trains and head into the city to go watch their favorite teams play. The atmosphere is unbeliveable. And footy is so much more fun than soccer (borring may I just say). If you are around Melbourne during (October, November) you need to attend the races. Royal Melbourne Cup is a public holiday actually. All the Melbournians dress/suit up and head to Flemmington where the races take place. Such a great experience you will not miss. Also, walk around the CBD (Central Business Distrect), personally I am in love with those tall, tall bulidings. During working hours a bunch of different food courts are open, they are also worth checking out. And did I mention, sushi in Australia is SO cheap and SO good! Over all eat a lot of asian food in Melbourne, so many different small restraurants and cafés.

I picked up a couple baskets of sweet end of summer cherry tomatoes and can hardly wait to try this tomorrow night. I love crumbles of all kinds but never thought to do a savoury one. YUMMY. Once I get the book and try a couple things I will most definitely post a comment. I just know I am going to love this book.

P.S. I ordered this book AND your first one a couple days ago. I kept meaning to order the first one and seeing your second one already out was a big kick in the butt to stop procrastinating and do it. I have loved the blog for a long time.

Hi Swedish Family,
I have Swedish roots myself and love the Swedish touch in your recipes! I am 3.generation vegetarian and very inspired by your cooking, I love it. I live in the ” Rainbow-Region”, in Australia and I think you should really visit this area because it has the highest percentage of Vegetarians living here in all of Australia. There are some really nice and also iconic vegetarian places to eat and the landscape and nature is stunning. Byron Bay is the most Easterly point of Australia and you can see the Sun go up before anyone else does. It has amazing rainforest and the beauty of the Ocean but wherever you go you will find beutiful places. I hope you have a wonderful time in Australia,
lots of love,
Sabina

I tried it today with coconut oil – it turned out to be very good! Although I used much less than 100 g since I’m on a diet. And instead of almond flour I used a mixture of oat bran, psyllium husks and coconut flour, and I added a chopped onion and 2 garlic cloves to the tomatoes. Kind of big changes but it turned out to be super while it was very diet-friendly! Since I’m not a vegetarian, I used it as a side dish to chicken. Very delish! :)

Awesome recipe :-) I love crumbles but the thought of making a savoury one had never crossed my mind! I made this just now with half cherry tomatoes, half courgette, and had to contain myself not to eat the entire pan in one sitting! (Also, inspired by your side salad I had this with oven roasted kale, chickpeas and pears. Am now wondering why I’d never thought of combining chickpeas with pear, it’s so perfectly autumn-y!)

Oooer I love crumbles and it’s so refreshing to see a savoury version for a change :) I live in Melbourne, but hail from Sydney and really hope you have an amazing time while travelling here! You’ll absolutely love the Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay and The Rocks in Sydney. Visit all three on a warm, sunny day :)

I like the idea of savoury crumble. And since I love tomatoes I’ll definitely give this recipe a try in the near future! I bought your new book recently…my favourite is the halloumi veggie burger, which I adapted to my taste. I blogged about it too.

This one caught my attention, but I have to say it took me time to try it and it was my daughter who helped out and did almost everything. What a wonderful surprise!! Even my very very very picky son said: “what are you baking? It smells so good, it smells like a restaurant!” And what’s more he tried it! Thanks for such an original and delicious recipe, it is good with your serving suggestions or all by itself.

Hi guys! I totally love your recipes. Spent my summer vacation cooking and baking most of the stuff in your book. And Your spinach pancakes are my go-to recipe when I want something satisfying! Ok, I’m sure you get this all the time, so I’ll just cu to the chase. Any chance you guys want to experiment/have fun with and share a No-gluten, no-fry doughnut recipe? It’s Chanukah season soon and I’m sure many of us would love to make their donuts a little bit healthier!

Awesome direction :-) i like crumbles however the thought of creating a savoury one had ne’er crossed my mind! I created this just with 0.5 cherry tomatoes, 0.5 courgette, and had to contain myself to not eat the complete pan in one sitting! (Also, impressed by your aspect dish I had this with kitchen appliance cooked kale, chickpeas and pears. Am currently inquisitive why I’d ne’er thought of mixing chickpeas with pear, it’s therefore utterly autumn-y!)

I made this recipe for a picnic with friends. They were first amazed by the idea of a savoury crumble, and then by the delicious flavour. When I got home, I made another batch just for me to enjoy for lunch this week. Thank you!

This looks awesome! I was wondering if it was possible to substitute almond meal for some other flour? I have coconut flour but google tells me it needs more liquid due to it’s tendency to soak up more moisture. Any suggestions??